Communications systems are known which provide greater flexibility in terms of a given user being able to move around freely. Thus for example, mobile communications systems are known wherein a user operates a handset which receives and transmits signals to a base station within a cell and wherein a plurality of cells exist over a given area of the Earth's surface. Mobile telecommunications systems of this kind have a disadvantage in that there may be areas of the Earth's surface which are not provided with a base station and therefore the hand held user unit cannot be used in these circumstances.
Various groups of people exist wherein (a) greater flexibility is required with respect to provision of telecommunications links; (b) telecommunications services are required where no terrestrial alternative exists; or (c) telecommunications services based on a terrestrial infrastructure may be unavailable for some reason, such as during a war, following a flood or following an earthquake for example. Thus for example business people and media reporters may frequently find themselves in remote locations where a suitable telecommunications link is not provided. Thus for example a media reporter working in a remote location, possibly in a war zone or a relatively uncharted territory may require to utilize a telecommunications link so as to establish communication with work colleagues or work headquarters. Communication systems are known which offer a greater degree of flexibility in terms of establishing a telecommunications link in a remote area such as for example satellite telephones, frequently referred to in the art as "Satphones". Satellite telephones are typically hand held devices and allow a given user to establish a telephone conversation via a satellite link. A satellite telephone generally comprises a hand held device together with an antenna which may be connected to the telephone via a suitable connection and which may be deployed in a position on the ground or other suitable structure for directing into the sky. Known satellite telephone antennae are configured to have a broad beam (that is an omnidirectional beam), so that communication may readily be established with a suitable orbiting satellite such as a geostationary satellite. A known system of this type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,471,219. Broad beam systems are also generally discussed in the paper by Cullen & Benedicto.sup.1. By having a broad beam it is relatively simple for the antenna to locate a suitable artificial satellite, and in such a system, at the very most, a given satellite telephone user may be required to slightly alter the position of the antenna to establish a suitable communication link with the satellite, the requirements on the user being minimized in terms of time and effort required to locate a suitable satellite.
However, satellite telephone systems of the type described are generally restricted to communications comprising telephone conversations or transmission of relatively low data content messages (eg, Internet e-mail messages) each requiring a relatively low rate of data transmission. Many applications exist wherein the amount of data that it is desired to be transmitted is more substantial. Examples of more substantial data requiring higher data transmission rates include for example relatively large text files, video images and in particular communications comprising a video component in addition to an audio component, these latter systems being known as "video telephones".
With advancements in technology, there is increased demand by users of communication systems for improved and enhanced communications services and in particular, there is a need for a method and apparatus for facilitating communication between a person located in a remote area for example and a head office, wherein the communications services available include provision for modes of communication requiring a greater bandwidth. By bandwidth it is meant the rate of data transfer, and thus there is a need for a communications system configurable for operation in a diverse range of locations (including remote locations for example) which facilitates a higher data rate than a conventional satellite telephone.